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Stay Safe

Do not release your social security number, bank account or PIN, PayPal, or credit card information. There is absolutely no reason why a recruiter or employer would require any such information from you. Never impart any financial information. You will eventually have to provide your social security number to an employer -- when you're completing a job application or employment contract -- but do so only after you have validated that the company is legitimate.

While direct deposit is a much more efficient method for getting paid for your services, you do not want to grant any organization access to your account until you know it is completely legitimate and trustworthy.

Legitimate recruiters get paid by the employers for whom they place candidates -- not from the candidates. Furthermore, most of the scammers who ask you to pay for job leads will provide you -- if they actually do so -- with the same ones you could find on a search of Indeed or other job-search engine.

Emails that claim to be from a legitimate company (Google) but then have a return email address with a general (free) email site (such as This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and not the company address (such as This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) are not to be trusted. Also carefully examine links in emails to guarantee they are linking to a legitimate Website (Google.com) rather than some fake site (http://scamsite.google.com/ or http://44.124.25.192/google/).

Vague promises can be very persuasive, but the truth lies in the details -- so request detailed information about the services they provide or the job they are hiring for. Request and review contracts carefully. Consult with a lawyer when you have serious concerns or questions.

These are simply marketing gimmicks designed to make you feel more at ease in falling for the scam. While testimonials can be real, even legitimate companies have been caught making them up. And money-back guarantees are worthless unless you have the time and money to sue -- if you can even find the scammers to do so.

Look at the contract carefully and make sure everything is in line with accepted labor practices. Ask in ESL forums if something you find in your contract is accepted or is typical of other schools’ contracts. (You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn in a short period of time).

Never take a job outside your homeland without thoroughly checking them out.
If you have any questions ask! Also ask for references from other people they have placed and do your homework.
Spend some time in ESL forums and ask others who have been teaching for years if they know of the firm. You’ll be surprised at how many other ESL teachers know of or have been scammed by them.
Keep all written documentation and e-mails. Never go on something by word of mouth.

Often illegitimate recruiters will simply comb the job boards getting contact names etc. from the teachers who post their resumes. Then they will contact you saying they have a list of schools looking for qualified teachers like you.
Wait it gets better. Then they’ll ask you to check the names of the schools you’d be interested in teaching for and ask you to send them your list. They then will tell you those that you choose are reserved for their “premium clients”. How do you become such a client? Send in your hard earned money and watch it disappear.

Most reputable employers do not ask for money from applicants "up front" for any reason. One of the most common requests of scammers is to ask for money to pay for visa applications or other paperwork.

If the standard of English in the advert is blatantly bad, this is often a sign that the person who wrote it was not able to ask a native speaker for help. If the employer is an English language school, you have to wonder why this is the case.

Scammers often buy domain names with extensions such as .tl (East Timor) or .tk (apparently a free domain extension) to create poor imitations of a genuine school's website. A genuine school in the UK, for example, will normally have a UK domain extension (such as .co.uk or .org.uk), not a domain extension from East Timor or Norfolk Island!

A couple of examples are the best way to illustrate this:
- A university in Cameroon advertises its address as "Worldwide, Niagara Falls"
- A supposed employer in London adds a postcode of "M1K 5DA" - not a London postcode... not even a valid British postcode.

This is not a fail-proof way to vet a school, of course, since even a fraudulent school can create a website; however, it’s a good first step. You can check for an actual physical address and specific contact info for the school. Test these– there should always be someone you can reach! Also see if the site has been updated recently and if you can you read about the school staff and actually contact them through the site. This is a also where you can link to the school’s Facebook page, or look for professional affiliations or endorsements you can follow up on.

A reputable school will be able to provide you with the names of both past and present teachers you can email or call. You can also ask to be connected with students or perhaps corporate clients who take English classes at the school, for another perspective.

Teaching jobs can be just like any other “product” these days– people are happy to give online feedback and reviews of their experiences. An Internet search can pull up blog posts, personal reviews, news articles or complaints filed against a prospective school.

These are great questions to ask during the interview, but they are also good ways to vet a school at any point before you go abroad. An established school will have a structured curriculum, and will probably use a textbook you can preview online, if you aren’t already familiar with it. Quality schools have assessment measures in place for both in-taking new students and evaluating students’ progress.